Cohort Profile : The DynaHEALTH consortium - a European consortium for a life-course bio-psychosocial model of healthy ageing of glucose homeostasis

Peer reviewe

Employee worktime control and health

Abstract The potential health effects of employee control over working times are poorly known in the field of work stress research. In this study, worktime control was hypothesized to buffer against stress by promoting successful combination of a full-time job with non-work demands and by enabling the work to be done at times of optimal resources. The participants were from the 10-Town Study, an ongoing longitudinal cohort study exploring employee health in ten Finnish towns. The survey responses on worktime control and health (baseline survey in 1997: n = 6442, 67%; follow-up survey in 2000–01: n = 32299, 67%) were linked to registered sickness absences from the employers' records. Employee worktime control covered the perceived possibilities to influence the starting and ending times of a workday, the breaks, handling private matters during the workday, the scheduling of shifts, vacations and days off, and the taking of unpaid leaves, each of which was rated on a 1–5 scale. In the follow-up survey, influence on the length of the workday was also assessed. After a factor analysis, the subdimensions of control over daily working hours and control over days off were focused. It turned out that low worktime control predicted poor subjective health, psychological distress, and medically certified sickness absences for women. For men, low worktime control was not associated with subjective health, but predicted medically certified sickness absences for those with dependent children or employed in manual occupations. With respect to work stress, the men and women suffering from job strain or effort-reward imbalance had less medically certified sickness absences if they at least had control over their working times. The men and women with long domestic and total working hours and long commuting hours gained most from high worktime control in that their medically certified sickness absences were reduced. Vulnerability to long domestic and total working hours in terms of such absences was seen among both men and women, but there were few men working long domestic hours. Long paid working hours as such were not associated with sickness absences. In sum, high worktime control appeared to buffer against health problems and to promote a successful integration of domestic responsibilities with a full-time job. The findings expand the focus of work stress research and emphasize the importance of taking conditions at home into account when analysing employee health.Tiivistelmä Työaikojen hallinnan merkitys terveydelle tunnetaan työstressitutkimuksen alalla huonosti. Tässä väitöskirjatyössä oletettiin, että työaikojen hallinta voisi vähentää stressiä ja edistää terveyttä helpottamalla kokopäivätyön ja kotona tehtävän työn yhteensovittamista sekä mahdollistamalla työn tekemisen parhaiden voimavarojen vallitessa. Tutkimus toteutui osana Työterveyslaitoksen Kunta10 -tutkimusta, joka seuraa kymmenen suomalaisen kaupungin henkilöstön työolojen ja terveyden kehittymistä. Koettua työaikojen hallintaa ja terveyttä koskevat kyselyvastaukset (alkukysely v. 1997: n = 6442, 67 %; seurantakysely vv. 2000–01: n = 32299, 67 %) linkitettiin palkanmaksurekistereistä saatuihin sairauspoissaolotietoihin. Työaikojen hallinnan mittari sisälsi alkukyselyssä 5-luokkaisella asteikolla vastaajien kokemat vaikutusmahdollisuudet työpäivän alkamis- ja päättymisajankohtiin, taukoihin, yksityisasioiden hoitamiseen työpäivän kuluessa, työvuoroihin, lomien ja vapaapäivien ajankohtiin sekä palkattomien vapaiden pitämiseen. Seurantakyselyssä kartoitettiin myös vaikutusmahdollisuudet työpäivän pituuteen. Summamuuttujan faktorianalyysin jälkeen arvioitiin erikseen päivittäisten työaikojen hallintaa sekä loma-aikojen hallintaa. Tuloksissa huono työaikojen hallinta ennusti naisilla huonoksi koettua terveyttä, psyykkistä rasittuneisuutta sekä lääkärintodistusta vaativia yli kolmen päivän mittaisia sairauspoissaoloja. Miehillä huono työaikojen hallinta ei vaikuttanut itsearvioituun terveyteen, mutta ennusti lääkärintodistusta vaativia sairauspoissaoloja, jos heillä oli lapsia kotona tai jos he tekivät ruumiillista työtä. Hyvä työaikojen hallinta vähensi työstressiin liittyviä sairauspoissaoloja. Stressiä kuvattiin työn kovien vaatimusten ja huonon hallinnan yhdistelmällä sekä koettujen ponnistelujen ja palkkioiden epäsuhdalla. Eri elämänalueilla tehtyihin työtunteihin suhteutettuna hyvä työaikojen hallinta vähensi sairauspoissaoloja erityisesti niillä naisilla ja miehillä, joilla oli paljon kotityötunteja, työmatkatunteja tai totaalityötunteja. Sairauspoissaoloilla mitattuna naiset ja miehet olivat yhtä haavoittuvia pitkille kotityö- työmatka- ja totaalityötunneille, mutta miehillä pitkät kotityötunnit olivat harvinaisia. Pitkät palkkatyötunnit sinänsä eivät lisänneet sairauslomia. Tutkimus tuo työstressikirjallisuuteen vallitsevia malleja täydentävää tietoa työn ulkopuolisten tekijöiden merkityksestä työntekijöiden terveydelle. Tulokset kannustavat edistämään työntekijöiden mahdollisuuksia työaikojensa hallintaan sekä terveyden edistämisen että kokopäivätyön ja muun elämän menestyksellisen yhdistämisen näkökulmista

Economic preferences and temperament traits among business leaders and paid employees

Abstract This paper explores individuals’ economic preferences and temperament traits among different categories of business leaders (i.e., managers, self-employed with employees, self-employed without employees) and paid employees. We assume that these quite stable preferences and traits play a role in predicting occupational choice toward leadership roles. We use a large individual-level survey dataset (n = 5890) from the Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1966 at age 46 with linkages to nationally registered data. We construct survey measures for three types of economic preferences: risk, time, and social preferences. We use Cloninger’s inventory to measure four main temperament traits: harm avoidance, reward dependence, novelty-seeking, and persistence. We show that business leaders, in general, have different economic preferences and temperament traits than paid employees. To become a manager, especially the temperament trait of novelty-seeking seems relevant; and to become self-employed, particularly the economic preference of risk-taking appears as important

Adjusted productivity costs of stroke by human capital and friction cost methods:a Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1966 study

Abstract Background: Productivity costs result from loss of paid and unpaid work and replacements due to morbidity and mortality. They are usually assessed in health economic evaluations with human capital method (HCM) or friction cost method (FCM). The methodology for estimating lost productivity is an area of considerable debate. Objective: To compare traditional and adjusted HCM and FCM productivity cost estimates among young stroke patients. Methods: The Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1966 was followed until the age of 50 to identify all 339 stroke patients whose productivity costs were estimated with traditional, occupation-specific and adjusted HCM and FCM models by using detailed, national register-based data on care, disability, mortality, education, taxation and labour market. Results: Compared to traditional HCM, taking into account occupational class, national unemployment rate, disability-free life expectancy and decline in work ability, the productivity cost estimate decreased by a third, from €255,960 to €166,050. When traditional FCM was adjusted for occupational class and national unemployment rate, the estimate more than doubled from €3,040 to €7,020. HCM was more sensitive to adjustments for discount rate and wage growth rate than FCM. Conclusions: This study highlights the importance of adjustments of HCM and FCM. Routine register-based data can be used for accurate productivity cost estimates of health shocks

Lost individual income due to severe health events:life-course perspective in the Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1966

Abstract Background: Severe health events may lead to reduced income among survivors. Importantly, individuals’ risks for both severe health events and for lower income are shaped by early life course. Our aim was to consider early-life factors in determining lost individual income after stroke, heart attack and cancer between ages 18 and 50. Methods: A population-based Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1966 (N = 12 058) was used. Early-life factors were collected since mid-pregnancy until age 16 years and used to match all persons with stroke, heart attack, or cancer (n = 995) with four controls. Registered annual individual income development 15 years before and after the event was compared between cases and propensity score matched controls using time-to-event mixed models, stratified for sex. Results: Compared to controls, a new decreasing income trend emerged among women after stroke (logarithmic income per time −0.54; 95% CI −0.88 to −0.20), whereas men getting stroke showed declining earnings already by the time of the event, further declining after stroke (−1.00, −1.37 to −0.63). Getting heart attack was associated with a new declining trend both in women (−0.68; −1.28 to −0.09) and men (−0.69, −1.05 to −0.32). Income declined also among control men (−0.24, −0.34 to −0.14), who had higher income but were less educated than control women. Conclusions: Stroke and heart attack but not cancer have exogenous deleterious effects on individual economy, independently of early-life factors. The effects accelerate by time. Negative income trend in control men shows that severe health events do not explain all decrease in income

Glucose metabolism in midlife is associated with preceding 30-year employment trajectories:a Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1966 study

Abstract Objective: The aim of the study is to evaluate how glucose metabolism in midlife is related to preceding 30-year-long employment trajectories. Methods: In the Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1966, we compared glucose metabolism at 46 to employment trajectories (previously defined for men and women and named as high-educated, traditional, self-employed, delayed, and floundering; n = 6399). Results: Compared with individuals in high-educated trajectories, odds ratios for type 2 diabetes (T2D, 95% confidence interval) in traditional and floundering trajectories in men were 1.65 (1.02–2.68) and 2.42 (1.38–4.23) and in women 1.89 (1.04–3.43) and 2.60 (1.46–4.62), respectively. In self-employed trajectory in women, odds ratios for prediabetes and T2D were 1.66 (1.09–2.51) and 2.47 (1.21–5.04). Conclusions: The highest risks for T2D in midlife were associated after traditional and floundering trajectories in men and women and after self-employment trajectory in women

The association between chronotype and wages at mid-age

Abstract Sleep has been shown to affect economic outcomes, including wages. The mechanisms by which sleep affects wages remain unclear. We examine the relationship between chronotype — morning larks, evening owls — and wages at mid-age. We propose a novel model relating chronotype to wages in consideration of human, social, and health capital constructs. Empirically, we explore the effects of chronotype mediated through life course choices, such as work experience, trust, and health behaviour. The data come from the 46-year-old follow-up study of the Northern Finland Birth Cohort (1966) and from registers of the Finnish Tax Administration. We find evening chronotype to have a significant indirect negative effect on wages, which occurs through accumulating less work experience and through poor health outcomes. The effect is largest for male workers, with a total indirect effect on average wages of − 4%. We also provide evidence that chronotype has a long-term association with wages between 29 and 50 years of age. We conclude that evening-type workers are less suited to typical working hours and accumulate less human, social and health capital which in turn negatively affects their wages. Our findings are of great socio-economic importance because evening chronotypes make up a significant part of the population

Managing barriers of virtual communication in global new product development projects

Abstract In virtual operating environments for new product development (NPD) increase the need to manage communication efficiently. The goal of communication is to reach a shared understanding; however, this is often challenging due to barriers that harm the communication process. Communication barriers typically cause misunderstandings and conflicts and hinder access to relevant information, causing delays in projects and some even fail in reaching their strategic or operational objectives. In addition to identifying the barriers, the main aim of the study was to discover ways of overcoming these barriers. We conducted a multi-method case study in a global telecommunications company. The theoretical base was built on virtual team literature and the theory of communication in virtual NPD teams′ context. The key finding of this study is that main barriers to communication are egocentrism, information-sharing behaviour, inadequate language skills, mistrust, communication distortions and miscommunication. In addition, we identify specific managerial implications for organising communications in virtual projects

Evening chronotype is associated with poor work ability and disability pensions at midlife:a Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1966 Study

Abstract Objectives: This is the first general population study to evaluate whether evening chronotypes (E) have poorer work ability (WA) and higher probability for early disability pensions (DPs) than morning types (M) in middle age. Methods: Among non-retired individuals (n=5831; 2672 men, 3159 women) of the Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1966, chronotype was determined at the age of 46 years with shortened Morningness–Eveningness Questionnaires in 2012. The outcomes were poor WA in 2012, indicated by scores 0–7/10 of Work Ability Score, and registered emergence of DPs in 2013–2016. Multivariate logistic and Cox regression analyses were separately adjusted for factors related to sleep, health and behaviours, sociodemographic and economic factors, or working times. Results: E-types represented 10% (n=264) of men and 12% (n=382) of women. Compared with M-types, the unadjusted ORs with 95% CIs of poor WA for E-type men and women were 2.24 (95% CI 1.62 to 3.08) and 2.33 (95% CI 1.74 to 3.10), respectively. The odds remained statistically significant and approximately twofold in all separate adjustment models tested. During 2013–2016, 8 (3.0%) E-type men and 10 (2.6%) E-type women were granted DP, which, compared with M-types, represented a higher HR that was statistically significant for men (HR 3.12, 95% CI 1.27 to 7.63) and remained significant except when multiple sleep variables or working times were adjusted for. Conclusions: Eveningness appears a previously unrecognised risk factor for poor WA and early disability. We suggest that individual chronotype be considered in attempts to lengthen work careers

Dimensions of social support in the experience of work engagement in middle age:a Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1966 study

Abstract So far, the relationship between the various dimensions of social support and work engagement has not been widely examined in the literature. In this study, we examined the relationship of social support at work (from a colleague or supervisor) and social support in one’s private life (from a spouse, relative or friend) with various dimensions of work engagement (vigor, dedication and absorption). The participants (N = 5,259–5,376, 46 years‐old, 52.7% women) came from the Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1966 study. Social support was evaluated with the Social Support Questionnaire (SSQ), and work engagement was assessed with a short version of the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES‐9). The data were analyzed using linear regression analyses. The results showed that high social support at work (p < 0.001) and in one’s private life (p < 0.001) were associated with higher total work engagement, higher vigor, higher dedication, and higher absorption. These findings were adjusted for gender, marital status, education and occupational status. The results were essentially unchanged when they were additionally adjusted for job strain and effort‐reward imbalance. To conclude, our findings indicate that the experience of overall social support may play a role in the experience of work engagement